Right to Refuse to Kill

Rustamjon Norov, a 22-year-old Jehovah's Witness from Tajikistan, is imprisoned and facing prosecution for refusing compulsory military service on grounds of conscience. He faces two to five years' imprisonment if convicted.

Israeli conscientious objector Hallel Rabin, 19, was imprisoned for her refusal to serve in the army. On 19th October, Rabin was sentenced to 25 days in military prison. This is Rabin’s third imprisonment, adding to 15 days she already spent behind bars. Write to the Israeli authorities here demanding Rabin's immediate release. 

The conscientious objector K.K., whose 2003 application for CO status and to perform an extremely punitive alternative civilian service of 30 months (instead of 12 months of military service) had been rejected by the Minister of National Defence, as well as his appeal by the highest administrative court, and who was facing trial by military court at the age of 45 for insubordination, was finally acquitted.

A 45-year-old conscientious objector who, 17 years ago, had applied and was denied to perform an alternative civilian service of 30 months (instead of 12 months of military service), is summoned to trial by a military court on October 26th, 2020.

K.K. had applied for CO status for ideological reasons and to perform the then extremely punitive alternative civilian service, back in 2003. His application was rejected in 2004 by the Greek Minister of National Defence, after recommendation of a 5-membered special committee which by that time included 2 military officers.

Turkey rejected all the recommendations concerning conscientious objectors which were submitted during this year’s Universal Periodic Review – a process in the context of the Human Rights Council which involves a review of the human rights record of every UN Member State and recommendations from the other Member States.

In February of this year, we sent out a CO-Alert of a Colombian Conscientious Objector, Brayan Gonzalez, who was irregularly recruited by the Army. His CO application wasn't recognised by the military Interdisciplinary Commission. To avoid being charged for desertion, he decided to come back to the battalion. He continues refusing inside the battalion. Read Brayan's story and consider sending the support letter. 

In response to the many known cases of sexual abuse and harassment of women by members of the armed forces and the police in different places in Colombia, at the end of July, the Colombian vice-president Martha Lucía Ramirez held a meeting with the Defence Ministry and the Military Forces. During this meeting, the Vice-president proposed the inclusion and recruitment of women as a strategy that could prevent violence against women by members of the military and police forces.

At the beginning of June, the US President threatened state governors with the 1807 Insurrection Act by sending military and federal police into cities across the US - as happened in Washington D.C. - if they didn’t react and repress protest in their states. Some National Guard and active-duty GIs reached out to Veterans and GI rights organisations to consult about their options if they were going to refuse to comply and follow orders.

The Russian Federation has started the 11th conscription campaign of residents in Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. The European Union condemned this draft attempt and has called on Russia to stop all violations of Human Rights and international law in the Crimean Peninsula.

After 13 years since the abolition of compulsory military service in Lebanon, the Lebanese Ministry of Defence and the military command are working in a project to re-establish conscription.

Following reports on right-wing extremism activities by active or former members of the German army, the new commissioner for the armed forces, Eva Högl, started a debate affirming that “ending conscription was a big mistake” and reintroducing it might help tackle antidemocratic ideas inside the army. The Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer rejected the idea of the return of compulsory military service, announcing, on the other hand, a new voluntary service called “Your year for Germany” which will be introduced in 2021.

The Inter American Court of Human Rights has adopted its admissibility report on José Ignacio Orías Calvo’s conscientious objection case, presented by Derechos en Acción against Bolivia. The IACHR considered that the Bolivian state didn’t comply with its commitment of legislating on the human right of conscientious objection.